Despite ban, heavy vehicles enter city

Heavy vehicles continue to enter arterial roads in the city despite restrictions by the Traffic police on the movement of such vehicles during peak hours resulting in traffic snarls on congested roads.

The movement of heavy vehicles is restricted within the city limits from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. barring a four hour restriction during off peak hours from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

However, heavy vehicles continue to ply in the city during the peak hours with the authorities turning a blind eye to the erratic parking of trucks on the main thoroughfares like Rangapillai Street, Mission Street, Ambalathadayar Madam Street and Vysial Street which houses outlets of retail and wholesale merchants.

“There is heavy vehicular traffic on the stretch between Rangapillai Street to Anna Salai and Vysial Street. The situation is chaotic in the peak hours. With two-wheelers and cars jostling for space with trucks, commuting is a difficult task on the stretch. The residents in and around the Grand Bazaar are the worst affected,” says D. Govindarajan, a resident.

Trucks coming from neighbouring districts like Villupuram and Cuddalore are supposed to park their vehicles at the truck terminal in Mettupalayam during peak traffic hour in the city.

However, with the traffic police and authorities not implementing the ban order the vehicles also make their way into the city for loading and unloading goods.

When contacted a senior Traffic police official said that they were taking steps to prevent the entry of heavy vehicles during the peak hours. Fines have been imposed on vehicles which violate the rules, he said.

A spokesperson of the Pondicherry Lorry Owners Association said that lorries were plying into the town due to lack of adequate infrastructure at the Truck Terminal in Mettupalayam.

Though the truck terminal was set up on 37 acres in 2008 the government failed to create infrastructure for parking vehicles, resting area for crew members and rooms for booking agents.

The government has been planning to set up an IT park in the area. Though the government had promised that an alternative site would be identified for the truck terminal it is yet to materialise, he said.